Startup · $293.2m raised · AI · Robotics
Sydney, NSW
Every investor coverage indicates participated in a round Advanced Navigation raised.
| Investor | Rounds | Invested |
|---|---|---|
| Quadrant Private Equity | Series C | - |
| OIF Ventures | Series C · Series B · Series A | - |
| NRF Corporation | Series C | $50,000,000 |
| Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability program | Grant | - |
| Malcolm Turnbull AC | Series C · Series B | - |
| Malcolm Turnbull | Series C · Series B · Series A | - |
| Main Sequence Ventures | Series C · Series B · Series A | - |
| KKR | Series C · Series B | - |
| In-Q-Tel | Series C · Series B · Series A | - |
| Federal Government | Grant · Grant | $278,756 |
| Brick & Mortar | Series A | - |
| Australian Space Agency | Grant | $5,200,000 |
| Australian Government | Grant · Grant | - |
| Australian Department of Defence | Grant · Grant | $306,631 |
| Alpha Intelligence Capital | Series C · Series B | - |
| AirTree Ventures | Series C | - |
| AI Capital | Series B | - |
Every published round Advanced Navigation took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
Companies Advanced Navigation has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No portfolio companies recorded yet. | ||||
Fund closes reported for Advanced Navigation, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Advanced Navigation has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Advanced Navigation did.
| Company | Bought by | Kind | Announced | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No portfolio company of Advanced Navigation is recorded as having been acquired. | ||||
Companies Advanced Navigation acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
| Company | Kind | Announced | Price | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vai Photonics | Acquisition | 23 May 2022 | ≤$40m | Our Innovation Fund (Thu 17 Nov 2022), Startup Daily (Mon 23 May 2022), Dynamic Business, Startup Daily (Thu 5 May 2022), Our Innovation Fund (Wed 4 May 2022) |
Stories naming Advanced Navigation. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Profile of deep tech investor Main Sequence covering Elaine Stead's promotion to Partner, portfolio unicorns Gilmour Space and Advanced Navigation, CSIRO's expanded Atmosphere backing, and a fourth fund now being raised.
Also OIF Ventures portfolio·OIF Ventures portfolio·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·@AuManufacturing·Forbes Australia
Main Sequence announces Elaine Stead's promotion to Partner while preparing its fourth fund; CSIRO has lifted its commitment to the firm's Atmosphere pre-seed program, and two portfolio companies have reached unicorn status.
Weekly roundup reporting Australian startup funding rounds and government grants, a venture fund close, agreed acquisitions, an IPO pricing, a collapse, plus executive hires and AI policy developments.
Main Sequence sets out its investment thesis for physical AI, describing portfolio companies across robotics, vision, connectivity, compute and simulation, and recalling over $100 million invested since inception.
Weekly people-moves column: new executives at allt, SQC, Redbelly Network, InDebted and Neara, including Clive Dickens joining allt's board and Chris McNamara becoming InDebted's CEO.
Collections technology firm InDebted has named Chris McNamara as chief executive and Brendan Lee as chief financial officer, filling a search opened when founder Josh Foreman shifted to a founder and executive director role.
Weekly roundup recording a dozen raises and acquisitions, Firmus's scheduled float, a new $50m venture fund, a founder share sale, grant winners, an accelerator intake, and an AI agent's government breach.
Also DealStreetAsia·Dealroom·This Week in Australian Startups·AFR Technology·AFR Technology·Startup Daily·AFR Technology·AFR Technology·ABC News Technology·iTnews
Heidi raised US$100m in a Blackbird-led Series C plus US$240m in customer-acquisition finance from General Catalyst, reaching a $1.26 billion valuation as Australia's fourth billion-dollar startup of the year.
Also Dealroom·Cut Through Venture·Startup Daily·This Week in Australian Startups·Dynamic Business·This Week in Australian Startups·Mirage News·This Week in Australian Startups·Forbes Australia
Deep-tech investor Main Sequence is seeking $400 million for a fourth fund, with $75 million already committed by the federal government, after two portfolio companies reached unicorn status this year.
The Australian government is lifting its industry-policy focus on space; the National Reconstruction Fund has already put $200 million into local space companies, among them Gilmour Space Technologies and Southern Launch.
Robot data analysis startup Alloy Robotics has raised $11.5 million in a seed round led by Square Peg, with Blackbird and Airtree participating, less than a year after a $4.5 million pre-seed.
Robotics AI startup Alloy has banked an $8m seed at an $80m valuation, led by Square Peg with Blackbird, Airtree and Skip Capital back again; funds earmarked for engineering hires and growth in the US.
Sydney navigation startup Advanced Navigation raised a large Series C led by Airtree Ventures, with Quadrant Private Equity and NRFC, to expand PNT technology globally.
Cut Through Venture's quarterly data shows Australian startup funding rebounding strongly, yet capital concentrating in a few large rounds while mid-sized companies struggle to raise.
Also Cut Through Venture
Mobility newsletter roundup: Uber's robotaxi deal with Rivian, Nvidia's automaker partnerships, Advanced Navigation's Series C, other startup raises, and acquisitions including Amazon's purchase of robotics startup Rivr.
A roundup of three raises: Advanced Navigation's $158 million Series C, legal AI platform MiAI Law's $2 million launch funding, and Deftbiotech's $1 million pre-seed for a fungal nail treatment.
Navigation technology firm Advanced Navigation has banked a $158 million Series C, with Airtree leading and Quadrant plus the NRFC taking part, funding global expansion and Australian manufacturing scale-up.
Also Dealroom·Tech Funding News - Australia·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·TechCrunch Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia·Forbes Australia
Advanced Navigation has hired Michelle Toscan to lead its Asia-Pacific operations, tasking her with defence and government engagement as the navigation systems maker supplies primes including Rheinmetall and Boeing.
Main Sequence's blog post announces it led robotics software startup Breaker's pre-seed round, citing the founders' defence and robotics backgrounds and plans to expand the team and US presence.
Sydney navigation technology firm Advanced Navigation is opening new centres in the UK, Europe and the US to meet demand for GPS-denied navigation systems, after launching its Boreas 50 product.
Advanced Navigation trialled technology that tracks commuters' phones inside underground stations at Castle Hill in Sydney, aiming to help people with vision impairment navigate transport interchanges where GPS performs poorly.
Five Australian space companies receive federal grants under the Moon to Mars program, totalling $3.6 million, for projects including navigation systems and radioisotope heaters; Gilmour Space says launch approval delays cost it $20 million.
Five grants under a Moon to Mars supply chain program, worth $3.6 million combined, have gone to recipients including Advanced Navigation, which will develop a high-shock navigation system with Gilmour Space Technologies.
Also Startup Daily
OIF Ventures' 2024 review: two portfolio companies acquired, a talent-leadership hire, its fourth fund deploying, new investments in eight named startups and nine follow-on rounds.
Advanced Navigation has recruited Wayne Prender, a veteran US defence executive and former Textron leader, to head its defence business from Washington DC, deepening the firm's American footprint amid closer Australia-US defence ties.
ExoFlare, cofounded by ex-Data61 chief Adrian Turner, has banked $5.3 million in seed funding led by Salus Ventures to help food producers manage biosecurity risks.
Also SmartCompany
Opinion piece by Advanced Navigation's CEO in an @AuManufacturing series arguing for space R&D investment, citing the company's $5.2 million Australian Space Agency grant and Space Machines' satellite launch.
Ahead of its 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards breakfast, @AuManufacturing names Advanced Navigation chief executive Xavier Orr as keynote speaker, recounting his company's gyroscope manufacturing, Botany factory and underwater exploration work.
Space Machines Company says its Optimus orbital servicing vehicle, described as Australia's largest private satellite, lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, with Australian firms and research partners among those involved in the mission.
Federal grants roundup: 21 Cooperative Research Centres Projects awards worth $51 million in Round 15, with EQ Plastics, Optiscan Imaging and NEXSEN BioTech each receiving $3 million for product development.
Also RenewEconomy
Ten Australian defence manufacturers, including DroneShield and Advanced Navigation, have received federal matching grants totalling $3.4 million under two Defence capability programs, as announced by Minister Pat Conroy.
OIF Ventures' year in review: full Eftsure exit, Opportunity Fund close, Visory, DataMasque and Nullify backed, follow-ons at Inspace and Dataweavers, new team members and portfolio milestones.
Advanced Navigation received a $306,631 grant from the Australian Department of Defence's Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority program to develop local photonic chip manufacturing; its Boreas X90 will fly on a Space Machines orbital vehicle.
Main Sequence, CSIRO's deep tech venture fund, adds Cochlear chair Alison Deans as a venture partner, extending her investment committee service since 2017; its third fund brought in $450 million in July.
Ten local manufacturers split a fresh $3.6 million Defence grant pool, with each award itemised, to develop armour, sonar, test chambers, metrology and machining for defence and export markets.
Podcast interview in which Advanced Navigation co-founder Xavier Orr discusses the company's new Botany factory, lunar landing sensors, a reported billion-dollar Series B valuation, and hiring in a tight skills market.
Advanced Navigation opened a machine learning-enabled robotics manufacturing facility at UTS Tech Lab in Sydney, aiming to scale production of GPS-denied navigation systems and deepen its research partnership with UTS.
Seven Australian manufacturers, including Advanced Navigation and Quantx Labs, have received federal grants under two Defence capability programs, with individual awards from $150,000 to $830,665 supporting projects across four states.
Also Defence Connect
Deep tech venture firm Main Sequence has reached an initial A$450 million close on its third fund, pushing money under management past A$1 billion; Hostplus, Temasek and CSIRO are among the backers.
Also TechCrunch Australia·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·TechCrunch Australia·@AuManufacturing·Business News Australia
OIF Ventures has locked in $55 million from investors for a new Opportunity Fund aimed at later-stage tech companies, and the article recalls its earlier backing of Advanced Navigation and Go1.